Flooding and mudslides caused by intense rains in Peru has now left at least 72 people dead.
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Flooding and mudslides caused by intense rains in Peru has now left at least 72 people dead.
The scale of the destruction – the worst in recent memory – has seen more than half the country declare a state of emergency.
Over 100,000 homes have been either damaged or destroyed, while 100 bridges have collapsed.
In Lima, the capital, running water remains restricted after treatment systems became clogged.
Government officials say shortages have led to an average 5 percent price hike in bottled water and other basic food items over the past week.
While the heavy downpours have eased, weather forecasts suggest the worst is not over, with more rain expected to lash the Latin American nation for another month.
Peru’s poor have been particularly badly hit. Many slums have been simply washed away leaving thousands homeless.
“We need water. We don’t have water to give babies a bath. We are here, we are stuck here with nothing. No home. We’ve been ruined,’‘ one woman said.
The disaster has been blamed on the El Nino weather pattern prompting unusually high temperatures in the Pacific.
Peru’s president has said the devastating downpour could not have been predicted, but the scale of the destruction has fuelled criticism that the country is ill-prepared for the growing challenges of climate change.